"It is a measure of contempt for minimum democratic norms by the Modi government that it has time and again sought to suppress through threats, warnings, false FIRs and concocted stories, all efforts by Teesta Setalvad and others to bring out the truth behind the role of the Chief Minister in the violence," the CPI(M) Politburo said in a statement.

It said the filing of the FIR against Setalvad by the Ahmedabad police was "a most vindictive act by the Modi government designed as a form of punishment for her fight for justice on behalf of Zakia Jafri and other victim families of the Gujarat violence in 2002."

The timing of the FIR was "also suspect as Jafri is in the process of filing an appeal against the ruling of the lower court in favour of the SIT's clean chit to Modi," the CPI(M) said while demanding its withdrawal.